Grace June Bunno

Our mother, Grace, was born June 23, 1926 in Moose Lake, Minnesota to Edward Czikall and Hazel Diesen. As a child, she moved with her parents and siblings to the Olympia area, where her father built a house and barn on 25 acres. As a working farm, they raised dairy cattle and chickens.

At 16, Mom went to work at Fort Lewis in the cafeteria and later moved to Michigan to work in a defense plant to work on B-24s for the war… a real ‘Rosie the Riveter’. This is where she met our father, who was in the army. They married in 1945. As a homemaker, Mom kept very busy raising four daughters, sewing all our school clothes and giving us the dreaded Toni home perms.

Mom loved gardening and always had a beautiful yard wherever she lived. She was an avid reader, amassing an enormous collection of books, making a dedicated library in her home a necessity. Mom also loved to travel and visited far-away places such as Tahiti and Paris. She also visited Hawaii and Alaska several times and went on road trips across the US from one corner to the other.

Mom was an animal lover and for her 98th birthday asked that, in lieu of gifts, we donate to an animal rescue of our choice. Family members happily complied and made donations to Concern for Animals, Caring Hearts 4 Paws, Kenai Peninsula Animal Lovers, and Just Care Animal Rescue.

Mom passed away in her home at Panorama Retirement Community on July 9, 2024. She was preceded in death by our dad, Jim Bunno, in 2008. She also lost her special love, Itsy -- a tiny white Maltese later in life. She leaves behind four daughters and their husbands: Jackie (Matt), Susie (Steve), Cheri (John), and Julie (Alec). She also leaves behind 4 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.

Mom epitomized the name, Grace:

Generosity

Respect

Action

Compassion

Energy